When painting some eggs, with by companions, for a Columban Easter Egg Competition, I learned three things about eggs.
1. Hens no longer lay white eggs. All the eggs in the supermarkets are brown. Its harder to paint brown eggs!
2. In China they paint eggs red on the 100th day after the birth of a child. The eggs are then hidden and young boys (boys only!) are sent to look for them. The boy who finds one will bring good luck to his family.
3. In the USA they have green-themed ‘Shamrock Eggs’ on St Patrick’s Day.
Speaking of St Patrick, on 25 March 433 he broke the ancient custom of not lighting a fire on that day (to mark the coming of Spring) until the king on Tara did so. Patrick lit his on Slane first and so gave the occasion a new significance, Easter Sunday!
Photos: Our eggs and Chinese Red Eggs.